Xian Zhang has been appointed as the next music director of the Seattle Symphony, making her the first woman to lead a major West Coast orchestra. She will begin her five-year contract in the 2025-26 season, after serving as music director designate in the 2024-25 season. Currently, Zhang is the music director of the New Jersey Symphony, where she has significantly shaped the orchestra's artistic vision. Her international acclaim includes collaborations with prominent orchestras and a Grammy award-winning performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Zhang is noted for her commitment to diversity and inclusion in the arts, and her dynamic conducting has been well-received by both musicians and audiences. She succeeds Thomas Dausgaard, who left the Symphony in January 2022.